Sailing into the future

Sailing into the future –that’s the idea behind the 7th Annual International Robo Boat competition.

Thirteen universities will chart their way through a variety of different tasks to compete for up to $20,000 in cash prizes at the Founders Inn and Spa in Virginia Beach.

Each team will need to complete four mission tasks including obstacle avoidance and automated docking.

One of the top teams is Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Their boat is called the Floating Point and for you engineers out there, you will get the name. One of their key members is Christopher Kennedy who is about to graduate with a masters in engineering in the fall.

If you think this is a day at the beach for these teams, think again.

Another cool thing that is happening is the Seapearch demonstrations. It’s fun, hands on and better yet, you can build it on your own!

Yes, that’s right! This is a kit where you can purchase and build your own underwater robot.

The event is free and open to the public all weekend at the Founders Inn and Spa in Virginia Beach.